By Robert Helmrich
If you are feeling chronically overtired and are thinking that you might be sleep deprived, your suspicions may be correct. According to polls conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, about 20 percent of Americans report that they get less than six hours of sleep per night on average, which is far less than what is recommended.
The percentage of Americans reporting that they get eight hours of sleep per night has decreased significantly in recent years. There is a steadily growing body of literature to support that this lack of sleep, which plagues many Americans, is having serious negative impact.
Children and adolescents are no exception and may be amongst the most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation. Polls have found that 59 percent of 6th through 8th graders and 87 percent of high school students in the U.S. are getting far less than the recommended amount of sleep on school nights.
* * *
So how much sleep is enough? The National Sleep Foundation has made age specific recommendations based on the most current research. School aged children should get between 9 to 11 hours. Teens need 8-10 hours. The recommendation for adults is 7 to 9 hours, though those over age 65 may need a bit less, at 7 to 8 hours.
Many of us may simply feel we do not have enough time in our busy lives to get the sleep our bodies need. Overscheduling often plays a significant roll. The requirements of home life, career, and social schedules are more demanding than ever before.
Children and adolescents sometimes have even more pressures, with vigorous academic and activity schedules. Work and school days begin early, especially for adults with long commutes and teens with early school start times.
We now live in a 24/7 society. We are surrounded by endless opportunities to do things other than sleep: the Internet, email, and TV. Many people, especially adolescents, are always connected through texting and social media, which commonly drags late into the night. This stimulation makes it hard to fall asleep even once we try.
It is proven that exposure to a direct light source, such as a computer or tablet screen, directly impairs the brain’s ability to induce sleep. Stress also plays a role; anxiety has been shown to interfere with both falling and staying asleep.
On the flip side, lack of sleep may exacerbate ones susceptibility to being overwhelmed by anxiety. We know that exercise and exposure to the outdoors can have positive effects on overall health including facilitation of better sleep, but for many neither happens on a regular basis.
* * *
If the untoward effects of sleep deprivation were merely cranky behavior and excessive yawning, we could all be far less concerned. Unfortunately, this problem has much more serious implications.
There is a link between insufficient sleep and serious problems such as heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, and obesity. Both chronic pain and acute pain from a recent injury are worsened by lack of sleep, with a much lower pain threshold in those who are not well rested.
Sleeping adequately has been shown to keep you safer, as there is a significantly lower risk of accidental injury when you are well rested. Better mood and clearer thinking are additional benefits to being well rested. Proper sleep has the added benefit of making it easier to maintain a healthy body weight, and has been shown to lessen the risk for becoming obese.
Stronger immunity may also be a benefit of being well rested; there is a growing body of evidence that even the common cold may be less likely for those who get the recommended hours of sleep.
The dangers of sleep deprivation are especially daunting for adolescents. Teens who are not well rested are at higher risk for automobile accidents. They are also more likely to have drinking problems. A recent study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that teens who were sleep deprived were 47 percent more likely to binge drink than their well-rested peers.
We also know that many behavioral health problems, which commonly affect teens, such as attention deficient hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety disorder are aggravated by inadequate sleep.
* * *
The solution seems obvious, but achieving a good night’s sleep is a complex mission. As a pediatrician, I have the privilege to meet young families with newborn babies every day. I begin to emphasize the importance of sleep for babies shortly after birth.
With careful attention to routines, schedules, and structured sleep patterns, by a few months of age most babies can achieve long stretches of sleep through the night (and thus so can their parents). These early good sleep habits hopefully carry on through childhood into adult life and are beneficial to overcome the challenges that could undermine a good night’s sleep.
A suitable bedtime routine for an infant includes a consistent bedtime with calming rituals leading up to being placed in a crib while still awake so that the baby can memorize the pattern. Children, teens and adults should have a similar routine, which includes a set bedtime and wakeup time. Incorporation of some boring and therefore calming activities in the hour before bed will help facilitate a good night’s rest.
There are many other interventions that would promote a better rested society. Lightening the schedule, especially for our children and adolescents, by avoiding overscheduling of activities or commitments will help facilitate adequate rest.
On Tuesday, March 3, our community will emphasize the importance of this with Hopewell Valley’s Night Off, which highlights the importance of having down time for our youth. The Hopewell Valley Regional School District’s Homework Policy, sets reasonable limits, and is another example of a noble effort to keep balance in the lives of children.
Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics made a recommendation that school start times be pushed later to accommodate the biological sleep cycles of adolescents. This may be something worth considering, as it is well known that adolescents function poorly in the early morning.
Implementation of an electronics curfew in the household will usually be highly effective to promote better rest, but should be expanded beyond just our youth, with parents setting the example (e.g., no email, internet, texts after 9 p.m.). Emphasis on healthy diet and exercise will facilitate better and longer sleep, with special focus on avoidance of alcohol and caffeine.
The Alliance has also promoted a community wide Hopewell Valley Come Outside and Play campaign emphasizing the importance of outdoors activity (set for June 11-13). Incorporation of more outside time should be a priority for us all, especially our children for many reasons including better sleep.
Finally, recognizing and treating more serious sleep problems is essential. Those who are doing all the right things and still cannot sleep or who do not feel well rested despite adequate duration of sleep should seek help. Primary care doctors are well versed in the importance of good sleep and have an arsenal of resources, including sleep specialists to whom they can refer, to help those with more serious sleep issues.
Dr. Robert Helmrich is a board certified pediatrician with offices in Princeton and Pennington. He cares for patients from birth through adolescence. He very much enjoys practicing in the Hopewell Valley Community where he lives with his wife and three children.
This story is part of a series brought to you by the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance. The Municipal Alliance’s mission is a community united in the development of caring, confident and responsible youth. With support and cooperation from municipalities, schools, community partners and volunteers, the organization funds and administers over 20 programs and activities in the Hopewell Valley. Heidi Kahme, coordinator.
